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Trading Paint: Indianapolis 500 picks

AP PhotoRyan Briscoe, left, and Helio Castroneves are two of the favorites for Sunday's Indianapolis 500.Who will win the Indianapolis 500?survey softwareWelcome to a special edition of Trading Paint, where our four experts make their picks for Sunday's Indianapolis 500.

Jeff Bleiler -- Jackson Citizen PatriotThe IndyCar Series seriously needs to do something about its schedule. The cars haven't raced in a month, so despite this being their Super Bowl, it's hard to get geared up for it.

Granted the schedule is full of practice, qualifying, bumping and what not, but to not have the cars competing side-by-side leading up to the 500 just makes it that much harder to get into it. But it is the 500, so that's good enough for me.

Winner: Dario Franchitti -- It's easy to pick Helio Castroneves, so I'll go with someone who's also on the front row and has drank the famed milk at Indy. He won in 2007 and while it will be difficult to outlast Helio, it's not impossible.

No chance: Danica Patrick -- She and her crew are not clicking right now, especially after she lambasted them for a poor car setup for qualifying. Fans aren't happy with her, and her crew can't be overly pleased either. That spells ruin.

Don't be surprised if ... Will Power is there at the end. With a name like that, eventually he's got to win the 500. After all, Will Power has willpower.

Steve Kaminski -- The Grand Rapids PressI’m just glad the Indianapolis 500 is almost here so I can forget about that new qualifying format they used last weekend. I’m still trying to figure that one out.

No chance: Ryan Briscoe -- It’s hard to pick against a Penske driver, but I just don’t like Briscoe’s chances.

Don’t be surprised if ... Dario Franchitti drinks the milk following the race. The defending series champion has had a quiet start to the season by his standards, but he hasn’t finished worse than seventh in his past four Indy 500 starts, and he won the 2007 race.

Mike Pryson -- Jackson Citizen PatriotNASCAR and IndyCar should make a trade right now. Danica Patrick for Sam Hornish Jr., straight up. Hornish is proving that he's not going to be a factor in NASCAR, and he needs to be back battling for championships in IndyCar.

Danica, meanwhile, is proving that she needs a change of venue. Danica's act of blaming everyone but herself for her poor showing in qualifying can't be sitting well with her team. And without 100 percent support of her team, Danica is just another driver tooling around at the back of the pack. Kind of like Hornish in NASCAR.

On to this weekend's Indianapolis 500:

Winner: Helio Castroneves -- Castroneves, who drank the milk last year, hopes to be dancing with history once again as he tries to become the fourth driver in history to win four time at Indy. He's been the man in practice and qualifying, and will be climbing the fence on Sunday.

No chance: Danica Patrick -- Not only is Danica no threat to win, she's just the third fastest woman in the field behind Simona de Silvestro and Ana Beatriz. And Sarah Fisher is not far behind. If Simona or Ana can crack the top 10, Danicamania could be yesterday's news.

Don't be surprised if ... Dario Franchitti makes it two Indy wins in four years. He won in 2007 and was competitive last year. Another win would undoubtedly get the attention of Mr. Hornish (Hey, that could be me!).

Winner: Will Power -- The Australian seized an opportunity with a fifth-place finish in a Penske-powered car last year at Indy, filling in for teammate Helio Castroneves, who was battling tax-evasion charges. Castroneves was nearly a half-second faster than the field in qualifying this year and will be the odds-on favorite to win again, but with a little luck, Power could just steal one Sunday afternoon.

No chance: Danica Patrick -- That was almost as obvious a pick as taking Castroneves to win. Patrick can only hope one of two things happen Sunday. One, she runs in the top 10. Or, two, she doesn't throw her team under the bus on national television if she doesn't. I'm predicting more pit road pouting.

Don't be surprised if ... The Indianapolis 500 surpasses the ratings of the top Sprint Cup series race this year. The open-wheel split and saga caused many fans to abandon the sport, but I'm sensing a much bigger buzz from the motorsports capital of the world. The push-to-pass button, Helio Castroneves' star appeal and full grandstands will provide plenty of excitement.